8 Unconventional Ways to Ease Depression

Unusual Therapies for Depression

Think treating depression is a one-size-fits-all approach? Think again. For many people with depression, it can take weeks, months, or years (and a lot of trial and error) to find a treatment that works — and it’s often a combination of therapy and antidepressants.

“It might also take some time to work through whatever it is that is bothering you — there’s lots of unfinished business in people’s lives,” points out certified art therapist Matthew Bernier, MCAT, associate professor of health professions and psychiatry and behavioral sciences in the Graduate Art Therapy & Counseling Program at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk.

But while you’re working out that unfinished business, adding some not-so-run-of-the-mill therapies to your treatment plan may help. Here are eight unconventional approaches you may want to incorporate into your treatment plan.

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Presenting Puppet Therapy

If you saw Mel Gibson’s 2011 flick The Beaver — a film about a man who turns to a toy beaver to pull him out of the throes of depression — you probably had one thing on your mind: Could this really work?

In fact, puppets, dolls, and stuffed animals play a strong role in therapy for all age levels. “It’s easier to talk or play with a puppet than it is to talk to another person," Bernier notes. "Even though adults know the puppet is pretend, they can still go along with it.”

A report in The Journal of Mental Health Counseling looked at a case study of an 8-year-old boy who used a bug puppet during “narrative therapy.” Before the puppet came into play, he was quiet about his underlying issues; once he started using it, he was able to give voice to his problems.

Bernier has a stash of puppets readily available in his office and allows patients to select one that suits them — and some therapists take it a step farther, prescribing puppets with specific names and personalities.

The Healing Power of Art Therapy

Ready to let those creative juices flow? Artistic expression can help people connect with their depression and any underlying causes at a deeper level, says Bernier. He combines puppet therapy with art therapy by encouraging patients to create their own puppets using cast-off materials, such as empty soda bottles or old socks.

“There is a metaphor and great symbolism in using otherwise forgotten, cast-off, rejected materials transformed into something of great value,” he explains.

Since the American Art Therapy Association was established in 1969, many therapists have been trained in both art and therapy. Healing arts can include drawing, painting, and sculpting, or other creative methods of expression such as dance, drama, or music therapy. This approach helps people connect with their anger, shame, or guilt from trauma and may bring depression relief.

A Good Reason to Love Animal Therapy

Sometimes when you’re feeling down, the best companion is the one with four legs, fur, and a wet nose. In fact, spending time with pets has been shown to help people relax and ease their emotional distress, especially in vulnerable patients (such as seniors with dementia or children with autism). Animal therapy has even been recognized by the National Institute of Mental Health as a type of psychotherapy for treating depression and other mood disorders.

But keep this in mind: A therapy animal goes through specific types of training with its handler and will likely provide more depression relief than ordinary pet companions.

The Magic of Medical Marijuana

Could the key to your depression relief be puffing on some pot? A 2007 study from McGill University found that THC (the main ingredient in marijuana) increased levels of serotonin, the feel-good chemical in the brain, when pot was smoked in low doses.

But before you consider trying medical marijuana — even if it’s legal in your state — you’ll first want to find out if depression treatment is considered a legal use for it. If it is, then you will need a doctor’s prescription.

And keep this in mind: Though marijuana may give you temporary relief, it won't address the underlying problems that are causing your depression — and that same study from McGill University found that when marijuana was consumed in high doses, it actually worsened depression.

The Feel-Better Fungi

Users of magic mushrooms — a term that describes varieties of mushrooms that contain the psychoactive substance psilocybin — often experience intense elation, an altered perception of reality, and hallucinations (also known as “tripping”).

The psilocybin in magic mushrooms that causes these changes in consciousness and emotional responses could now pave the way for a new depression treatment. In a study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, researchers found that subjects injected with psilocybin experienced a boost in emotional well-being and the ability to recall personal memories.

In another study, scientists inserted psilocybin into the blood of volunteers and then monitored their brains with MRI scanners. They discovered a decrease in activity in the “hub” regions of the brain, which are known to suppress our feelings and perceptions of the world around us.

By deactivating those mind-numbing regions, psilocybin could calm negative feelings associated with depression, as well as increase access to positive thoughts, according to Huffington Post. As a result, psilocybin could potentially complement traditional psychotherapy to make it more effective.

But before you go scrounging for magic mushrooms, remember that this substance is illegal to use in most states, and extensive research is needed to examine its mental health benefits — and drawbacks. “A great deal more work would be needed before most psychiatrists would think that psilocybin was a safe, effective, and acceptable adjunct to psychotherapy," Nick Craddock, PhD, a psychiatry professor from Cardiff University, told Reuters.

A Club Drug for Instant Relief?

Suicide is a constant danger for people with severe depression, and some doctors worry that traditional antidepressants take too long to start working. But fast-acting depression treatment could be on the way. According to ABC News, scientists at the Neuro Psychiatric Center in Houston are testing ketamine (also known as “Special K”) to evaluate its short-term effects on depression symptoms. Patients previously resistant to other forms of medication for depression are calling it a miracle drug, according to NPR.

This isn't the first time that this common anesthetic medication (for both people and animals) has been linked to fast depression relief. In a 2014 study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, researchers analyzed the effect of ketamine in treatment-resistant depressed bipolar patients. They found that a single dosage of ketamine reduced a hallmark symptom of depression and bipolar disorder -- loss of interest in pleasurable activities -- within 40 minutes. The symptom relief also lasted up to 14 days. And a decade ago, researchers in the Connecticut Mental Health Center in New Haven, Conn., reported that almost 70 percent of severely depressed patients saw a dramatic boost in mood within hours of receiving ketamine injections.

But ketamine's ground-breaking potential doesn’t come without concerns. Experts fear that there could be a high risk for abuse of this popular party drug. Ketamine is often combined with dangerous substances such as methamphetamine to achieve a euphoric high. At high doses, it can trigger delusions and psychotic episodes, and may permanently damage internal organs such as the kidneys.

Primal Therapy: Relive Pain to Relieve Pain

Primal therapy, part of a group of treatments called psychodynamic therapy, involves accessing and reliving painful memories from the past so they no longer drive your emotions. This psychotherapy is often used with people who have experienced serious trauma.

There are few studies that compare the effectiveness of this approach with other more traditional depression treatments, like cognitive behavioral therapy or medication (the gold standards of depression treatments). Results are mixed, and the most recent research doesn’t suggest an advantage to primal therapy. Still, primal therapy could be an effective part of your depression treatment plan.

Can Tanning Beds Zap Your Depression?

You may have heard that you can improve your mood by hopping in a tanning bed, especially during winter months when the lack of sunlight can cause the type of depression known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

Here’s the truth — tanning beds don’t provide the right type of replacement light needed to treat SAD — and they pose a cancer risk as well. Instead, consider this alternative: Sue Penckofer, PhD, RN, a professor at the Loyola University Chicago School of Nursing in Maywood, Ill., has researched the use of vitamin D (which the body makes naturally from sunlight) in depression treatment and found that correcting vitamin D deficiency does provide some depression relief. Talk to your doctor about whether vitamin D supplements might help your depression.

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